As Stone Falls and Labyrinth Calls
by Memmzer
Summary: When Sarah gives her 12th grade English teacher, Claire Desiree, the book that started her own adventure,she never could she have imagined what would happen afterward. **This story is undergoing a major overhaul**
1. Chapter 1 The Goblin Train

_The Goblin Train_

Claire Desiree stood in front of the train stop and smiled as the wind blew though her short, uneven red hair. She was thankful she had worn her shawl. As she waited for the train, she fingered the artificial leaves that were sewn to the hem.

She made the daily commute from Bluegrass to Laurence and back Monday through Friday to teach a twelfth-grade English class at Caliber High. She loved her students and wouldn't give them up for the world. For once she thought she had found one who understood exactly what she was trying to teach. She was trying to teach that things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes over thinking is required.

Only a few more minutes until her train arrived. Claire threw her head back and sighed. Her messenger bag was already heavy with books and lesson plans. She put her hands on her hips and smiled. Today was a good day.

Claire glanced down at her watch. 5:15. The trains would be pulling in any second now. Even as she thought it, she heard the tell tale sound of the train. She stepped towards the door as it opened and boarded the train. She was on her way to Bluegrass. There was no doubt that that little town had let her down. She had wanted to be a college professor, but she had only been able to get her Masters Degree .

Taking a seat, Claire deposited her book bag beside her and went digging through it. Soon she had found what she was looking for. It was a hardback, leather-bound book that her student Sarah had handed given her that afternoon before the end of school. On the front in small, peeling gold letters were printed the words _The Labyrinth_. If Sarah had recommended it, then no doubt it would be an interesting read.

Claire remembered the discussion with Sarah well. After the bell had rung Claire had watched as her students scrambled to get out of their last class. Sarah had stayed though. It wasn't surprising to Claire. Sarah would stay whenever she got the chance so that she could receive critique on her writing from the English teacher. Claire was happy to oblige, finding it a good opportunity to teach Sarah how cultivate her skill and see the world differently. Today, however, Sarah had left her with this book and left having to look after her little brother Toby. Before she had left she had told Claire that it had been a real eye opener for her.

* * *

At six o'clock, Claire found herself stepping off of the train and onto that familiar station that was home. She left the station and found herself getting into her worn old Volkswagen bug. She then cranked the key and sped off into the familiar and uniform.

Before long, Claire found herself turning the key in her door and stepping into her living room. She walked towards the kitchen and set a kettle on to boil water. As she placed the French Vanilla tea bag in the cup, she caught the fragrant smells of her favorite tea. Just as Claire finished adding her sugar, the kettle begun to whistle. She turned the stove off and poured the scalding hot water into her little tea cup. Grabbing the cup by the handle, she ascended the steps to the upstairs level of her house.

Claire decided to go to the balcony and read the book that Sarah had given her. She hopped up on the safety railing and perched precariously but comfortably on the rail. She opened the book and began the story, taking sips of her tea as she read.

The sun had long since set when Claire finally closed the book and sighed. She leaned her head against the wall and laid the book on the cast iron patio table beside her.

"I wish the goblins would come and take _me _away right now," Claire muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, Claire felt a strange sensation of falling. Her first thought was _Oh god, I've fallen from my balcony and now I'm going to die. _But to her surprise, she hit cold stone with much less force then she had expected. Her hands and cheek stung and she was struggling to regain her breath. She heard voices around her. Then someone poked her with what she believed was a stick. Lifting herself to her hands and knees, she opened her eyes and came face to face with a wrinkly little goblin.

Claire's breath caught in her lungs as she stared into it's eyes.

"Perddy lady have big fall," the goblin chuckled.

"You're not kidding," She said breathlessly.

_Come on. Get up and dust yourself off. You need to find out where you are. _Claire thought getting to her feet. _Clearly you have suffered some major trauma._

"You _are_ something of a novelty aren't you?" a voice behind her asked.

"That's what my students tell me," Claire replied turned around to see who possibly could be invading her dream now.

Claire studied the man and made a mental note of his curiously strange appearance. He wore a black shirt with black pants and a cape with a collar that stood up to frame his exotically angled face and wild blond hair. His upturned eyebrows made her arch her own in interest. His eyelids were dark and his thin lips were curled into a smile. Claire found herself blushing as she realized she found this man slightly attractive.

"What's your name, dove?"

"Claire Desiree."  
"Congratulations, Claire," the man said sarcastically. "Welcome to the Labyrinth. You're mine now, dove."

"Now, I'm sorry but I don't believe I caught you name Mr. Master," Claire said defiantly, crossing her arms.

"I am Jareth. I am the Goblin King and ruler of this labyrinth."

Claire smirled and replied, "I'll have you know I'm not one to be owned."

"You wished yourself here knowing the full implications but you still refuse?" Jareth asked sighing. "There's no one to run the labyrinth for you, you know?"

"I know, but I have an Idea. Can _anyone_ run the labyrinth for me?" Claire asked sneakily.

"Yes," Jareth confirmed uncertainly.

"Well, then I want to run for myself," Claire said grinning.

Jareth laughed and walked to the window. Claire hung back, but when he beckoned her with a gesture of his hand she walk to the window and gazed out. She gasped at the enormity of the labyrinth. The twist turns seemed to writhe and slither like snakes.

"Is it... alive?" she asked tentatively.

"Very alive, Dove. It changes constantly and within it lie horrible monsters that have a hunger for human flesh. Are you still sure you want to run the Labyrinth?"

"Of course! I can't be tied down here for too long," Claire chuckled. This was all part of her dream, right?

"You sure are a cheeky little human," Jareth said raising an eyebrow.

"Well if you're going be me you have to be," Claire said.

Before she had even finished the sentence she found herself in a strange place. To her left there was a high stone wall and anywhere else she looked was barren wasteland. She looked around for a sign of someone, anyone.

"There's no one out here," a voice behind her said calmly.

Claire turned around to face him. "Then how am I supposed to find my way through this thing?"

"You have thirteen hours to figure that out," Jareth replied an evil smile stretching across his face.

Claire sighed and turned towards the wall. "Can you at least tell me how to get in?"

She was answered with nothing but the buzzing of pixie's wings.


	2. Chapter 2 An Oubliette

_An Oubliette?_

Claire had been walking and running her hand across the wall of the labyrinth for quite some time. She sighed and hung her head as she kicked a rock out of the way. All of a sudden the wall beneath her fingers ceased to exist. Startled, Claire looked up and poked her head through the entry way. It appeared to be a never ending corridor that went left to right. She took a step and continued on her way running her had against the opposite wall again.

Before long she had found an opening once again and was pleased to find that behind this wall lay a real maze. She took a left, then a right, then a left again, but she always kept her eyes on the castle.

She had figured that the goal of this was to reach the other side of the labyrinth but now that she thought about it, Jareth hadn't really stated that for sure had he?

She stepped out into a dazzlingly magnificent garden. There were trees with flowers and trees with fruit, shrubs you could hide in and sculptured shrubs, and then there was a squat little dwarf snipping away at one of the shrubs.

"Um... hello?" Claire called.

The dwarf looked back but continued his work. "Not again," He sighed.

"I'm Claire."

"Oh I already know who ya are. I'm Hoggle," the dwarf said gruffly.

"Pleased to meet Yo-AHHHHHH!" Claire began, but quickly her friendly greeting became a scream of terror as the ground seemed to swallow her up.

Her fall to the ground seemed to slow however as what appeared to be hands made of soil began to lower her down. As she hit the dirt floor of the hole with a thunk, she squinted back up at the light that seemed so far away. She dusted the soil off of herself and stood. The cave like structure around her was lit only by the dim light from above, but she could just make out the edge of the room. There must be some way out. Looking back up the shaft she had just fallen down, she realized there was no going back that way. Then she remembered.

"Hoggle?" She called up tentatively.

"No, no, no! Ya can't get involved again. Last time ya did ya got kicked to the curb," Hoggle's voice said as it began to soften at his unseen retreat.

"But you can't just leave me down here!" Clarie retorted.

Ten minutes later she still had no reply. She sat down and leaned back against the wall. She sighed.

"Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless," she mumbled.

_ Is it possible this isn't just a dream, _Claire though to herself, _that this is a reality? _She found her heart beating so fast it nearly jumped out of her chest. _Wouldn't I already be dead if I had fallen from the balcony?_

"So you finally realized my labyrinth's challenge might be too much to handle?" a familiar, cocky voice from above her asked.

Claire found herself looking upward to try and find the source of the voice.

"Over here," Jareth said from the corner of the room giving a sigh.

Claire gritted her teeth and glared at the man. She would not allow herself to be treated like this. She jumped to her feet and rolled her sleeves up importantly. Claire put her hand to the edge of the wall and walked the perimeter of the room.

"You're not going to find your way out like that," Jareth chided her, as he stepped to the middle of the room to allow her to touch the wall behind him.

"Who says, King Fancy pants?" Claire asked repeating the circular motion.

Jareth bristled at the insult and sneered. As he stepped behind her, Claire found herself paralyzed with fear. He was so close now that as he spoke his lips tickled her ear.

"Nothing is going to change my world. Not even you, little girl," Jareth whispered.

He paused for a second (though it was the longest second ever to Claire) and then as an after though pressed his lips against the top of her head. Claire whirled around in anger at this, but found herself sputtering at the glitter his disappearance left.

"Dad-gum goblins," she muttered to herself.

"Hello?" Is anyone down there?" A voice called down

"Oh! Yes, could you find some way to get me out please?"

"Of course. I'll be back in just a tic!' The voice called down reassuringly

As Claire waited for what as far as she knew was a disembodied voice, she found herself irritated or a better word was spiteful... yes, spiteful because of the Goblin King, but worse yet she was angry with herself. Not because she had wished herself here, but because she found herself enjoying how close the Goblin King had been. It had been unwelcome but under different circumstances she probably wouldn't have minded. He was part of the reason she had wished herself kidnapped after all.

Her train of thought was disrupted as a rope was dropped down into the pit.

"Hogsquash! You weren't supposed to drop the _entire_ rope into the oubliette!" The voice from before said, the irritation apparent in his voice.

"Sorry, Jarim. You brought more didn't you?" Hogsquash, or so she assumed, asked.

"Of course I brought more!"

The end of another rope was lowered down and Claire was out in no time.

"Thank you," Claire said, studying her rescuers carefully.

Hogsquash, a female, was what Claire guessed was a goblin with maroon colored skin and bright silver eyes. Hogsquash looked her over while scratching her head which was covered in a thick mane of silver hair. She appeared to be only three feet tall, so for once Claire could look down at someone besides ninth and tenth graders.

"She doesn't look anything like the last runner," Hogsquash said turning to Jarim.

"Of course she doesn't! She's a completely different person," Jarim retorted, closing his big magenta eyes.

He was taller than Hogsquash and definitely more formal. Standing only three inches shorter then the five foot three inch tall Claire, he was the tallest goblin she'd seen all day. His thick black hair was slicked back and he wore a suit much like that Claire pictured a butler in.

"Excuse me. I've seemed to have forgotten my manners," Jarim said hastily. "I'm Jarim and this... nuisance is Hogwash."

"Hogsquash," the sneering goblin corrected him softly.

"I'm Claire," Claire said smiling and extending her hand.

"Oh, we already know who you are," Jarim said as Hogsquash shook Claire's hand.

"Most people do here," Claire replied arching an eyebrow.

"You're the talk of the village, Claire! No one can stop talking about you. Not even pompous, tainted half-goblins like Jarim,: Hogsquash explained bouncing up and down on her feet, which Claire realized were shaped much like a kangaroo's.

"Well, she is the first runner in four years," Jarim said, visibly ruffled by Hogsquash's remark.

"If you don't mind my asking, who was the last runner?" Claire asked.

Jarim and Hogsquash cast side long glances at each other.

"Well, usually we aren't to bring up past runners with such high-status as her, but..." Jarim started.

"But you're going to find out sooner or later," Hogsquash said. "Our last runner was Sarah Williams."

"Who?" Claire gasped knowing full well that was impossible.

"We just told you," Jarim said, glancing nervously around. "Don't make us say it again."

"But that's impossible," Claire persisted.

"Nothing is as it seems here," Hogsquash said standing beside her. "Now you have a labyrinth to run."


	3. Chapter 3 Assassin's Breath

_Assassin's Breath_

Jarim and Hogsquash now found themselves following Claire who was hopelessly lost. She was getting distracted by the sweet fragrance of the vibrant flowers and the delicious appearance of the succulent fruit. The goblin pair watched helplessly as she meandered through the vegetation and around the commonly found stone fountains scattered about.

Jarim sighed as he walked. He couldn't even help this foolish girl. After Sarah's run it had been made painfully clear that no one was to help a runner navigate the labyrinth. Jareth had even gone as to the trouble of instigating new traps no one knew about. Rumor had it that he had gotten his father, King Argon of Laspira, to send him some exotic animals and an abundance of flowers and seeds. Jarim wondered if any of these flowers were Lisperan. Jareth had said the reason was that the labyrinth's old tricks were getting boring, but Jarim had long suspected it had something to do with Sarah. Jareth had been completely humiliated after what she had done to him.

Claire had grabbed an outrageous bright purple flower, but Jarim slapped it away from her face immediately. Claire's wide, surprised eyes followed the flower as it fell to the grassy ground. One of the flower's black pistons had lashed out at her bright green converse. Claire gasped and looked at Jarim flabbergasted.

"Assassin's Breath. Poisonous and deadly," Jarim said walking on down the path.

It was then that Claire noticed something she hadn't taken note of before. From the seat of his trousers protruded a tail. Covered in black fluffy fur and ending right at his knees, it swung back and forth like a pendulum.

"A tail?" She asked snickering as she ran to catch up with Jarim.

"Yes. A gift from dear mother," he spat.

"He's not extremely proud of his goblin features but I rather like them," Hogsquash said smiling, but as she did so, she grabbed hold of his tail and yanked. "All the better to pick on him!"

Jarim emitted nothing but a small squeak as his eyes began to water. Hogsquash had begun darting in and out of the pair's eyesight, but Claire was too preoccupied to notice. She stared at a blackened spot on a healthy peach tree. She followed the trunk up to the limbs where fat, ripe peaches hung. That spot had no reason to be there. Claire stroked a finger across the dark patch. _Burnt? _Claire thought. _How?_

"What is _this _doing here?" Claire asked, rubbing the black soot between her index finger and thumb.

"How should I know?" Jarim asked sarcastically, leaning against the tree in front of her.

"You do realize that tree is covered in soot, right?" Hogsquash asked suppressing giggles.

"Of all things! and my new suit too!" he gripped.

Jarim patted his blackened sleeve in an attempt to repair the damage. Hogsquash broke out in a fit of laughter and Jarim scowled as he realized all he had done was make it worse. But Claire found herself detached from their joyous games. Something held her fixated where she was. A feeling of warmth spread through her veins and courage spilled over. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Hogsquash and Jarim stood silently at her side now. There solemn looks told Claire they must have felt it too. Still there was only one thing left to do, and that was to continue walking.

Claire noticed that, as she neared the center of the garden, her breath was becoming visible. She glanced towards Hogsquash and Jarim to see if they had noticed any change in temperatures. From the way the summer clothed Hogsquash clung to Jarim, she guessed either they had realized it was freezing or they had become enamored with each other. She assumed it was the former. Claire hugged her Fall Shawl closer to her as the temperatures continued to drop. The trees were now covered in crystal like ice. It was eerily beautiful, but it only sent up warning signs for the trio now. the trees and bushes began to thin until there was nothing. In the center of the clearing was a tall, soot blackened pillar. The pillar, however, was not what worried them, for atop the stone was nested a Phoenix. Bathed in fire and glowing bright, the Phoenix tilted its head back and screeched.

"Guys," Claire said backing away, "I think we should run."

Jarim and Hogsquash must have agreed, because they took off running towards the opposite edge of the garden. Claire took off after them, the Phoenix hot on her trail. Claire couldn't run as fast as her goblin counterparts but she could duck under trees and bushes. She no longer had any idea where she was going, but she could hear the steady beating of the Phoenix wings behind her. This reminded her of her days back in high school. Back then she ran to feel the wind through her hair and her feet lifting off of the ground. Now, however, she ran to survive.

Less than 3 yards away lay a forest. Perhaps, she thought, if I make it there the Phoenix's wings won't be able to clear the trees. Even as she thought, she collided with warm water as she jumped for the tree cover.

Though her breath was gone and her elbows stung, she rolled over and propped herself up. She was staring through what appeared to be a film of water at a very agitated bird. Jarim and Hogsquash stood at her side, having predictably reached the woods before her.

"And all I wanted was a nice cup of tea and a good book," Claire mumbled.


	4. Chapter 4 The Missing Feet

_The Missing Feet_

Claire groaned as she rubbed her elbows. She stood up and was dismayed at the state of her Fall Shawl. The brown felt was covered in grass stains and soaked in sweat. The gold thread had tattered and unraveled. The hem was missing an innumerable number of leaves as well.

Claire turned back to Hogsquash and Jarim. No doubt they were a mess too. Jarim's black hair was sticking out every where and he had unbuttoned his silvery vest in an attempt to cool down. Hogsquash, however, looked much the same as before their flight. She had some leaves crumpled in her hair though , which made Claire suspect she had hopped all the way here.

"Jar," Hogsquash said frowning, "we need to find out where we are. Do you mind scaling a tree to see?"

"Hog! You know I'm no good at climbing," he complained. "Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Maybe you haven't noticed," Hogsquash said, turning red with anger, "but I don't have the gift of Fae's toes."

"Not so fun being a goblin, eh?" Jarim smirked, climbing up the pine.

"So what's your story?" Claire asked as Jarim climbed out of earshot.

"Well, Jarim came from Laspira when he was a kid. I'm his little sister... well, half-sister I suppose," Hogsquash explained chuckling. "Our mother was originally a lady-in-waiting to Queen Alkali, but when Jarim was seven it was decided that they would come to the Labyrinth. I was born a few years later. It's been about fifty-two years if I'm counting correctly."

"What's the difference between a Lisperan Goblin and a Labyrinth Goblin?" Claire asked.

"A Labyrinth Goblin never reaches over three and a half feet. A Lisperan Goblin on the other hand, is commonly known to reach height of four and a half to even five feet. Otherwise they're the same."

"He isn't as formal as he looks is he?" Claire asked gazing up into the leaves.

"No. He only does that to impress people. Once you get to know him he's actually very out there," Hogsquash giggled.

"It's beautiful up here, Hog! It's the stuff you would die for!" Jarim called down from the screen of green above the pair.

"Yes, but where?" Hog called back.

Jarim dropped down from the lower levels of the branches to stand in front of them. "Jareth always starts his runners off at the South Gate so we seem to have run the rim. We're at the West Gate.

"Well, let's get walking," Claire said determinedly.

Claire and Jarim walked side by side as Hogsquash hopped circles around them.

"So, I heard Hog telling you about us. What of your past. Any juicy secrets?" Jarim asked, smirking at her.

"Nothing you would want to hear," Claire said smirking right back.

"Oh come now! By the way Jareth is playing this, I suspect we'll be spending a lot of time together."

Claire just caught the inner lying insult before the retort escaped her lips. The nerve of him!

"You don't think I'll make it, do you?"

Jarim looked at her with wide-eyes. He seemed surprised by her sudden change from cheery to cold.

"That's not what I said!" he cried defensively.

"But that's what you meant," Claire said softly.

"No, it's not," Jarim said frowning.

"Say what you want to, but I will make it through this stupid labyrinth!" Claire yelled as she stalked off in the direction of the North Gate.

"Where are you going?" Jarim called after her.

"To the North Gate!"

"Whatever would you do that for?" Hogsquash asked.

"Because that's the Labyrinth's exit," Claire said pausing and turning to Hogsquash with a puzzled look.

"No it's not, sil-" Hogsquash started to say, but immediately Jarim slapped a hand across her mouth.

"You know we can't," he said hurriedly.

He caught sight of the owl perched on the pine branch above Claire's head. It looked hungrily down at them. Hogsquash caught sight to and her eyes suddenly widened.

Claire turned back to the path and walked on. _What could they have meant? _ The fog swirled around her ankles. _The end of a maze is the exit... right? Although.. my goal is to over think things. _She stopped as she realized she could no longer hear the sibling's soft foot falls. She looked around everywhere.

"Jarim! Hogsquash!" she called over and over.

After about fifteen minutes, Claire stopped. She had no idea where she had gone. Sometime in all the looking she had wandered off the path and now the mist snaked it's way up her legs. She rubbed her hands up and down her shaking arms. For once, she was afraid. Claire looked up as a snowy owl whoed from a branch beside her. It flapped its wings and swooped down towards her. Claire ducked and as she came back up she caught sight of the bird flying off into the mist.

At her feet lay a beautiful flower with orange petals. Claire bent to inspect it. It wasn't anything like the Assassin's Breath and she assumed it was safe. She looked around for some sign as to where it had come from. Shrugging, her curiosity got the better of her. she breathed in the sweet fragrance of the flower and smiled.

Claire's head was foggy now. She yawned as she sat in front of a tree. It was incredibly tiring to find your way through a labyrinth. Perhaps she would take one little nap and wait for Hogsquash and Jarim to find her.


	5. Chapter 5 Foxgloves in the Morning

Okay! So I got tired of my old user name and I like this one better so.... yeah.... Blame Starjaw. Sorry that this chapter is a little short.

* * *

_Foxgloves in the Morning_

Claire blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she came to. The ground beneath her was strangely soft and she was no longer leaning against the pine, or any other tree for that matter. She stretched her arms out as she soaked up the sunlight.

_There's something familiar about this place, _Claire thought, frowning at the clouds in the pale blue sky. _Where am I?_

Claire got up slowly, hoping to find the answer to her question. All she found around her, however, was a meadow of foxgloves. It seemed to stretch over miles and miles of rolling hills. How odd that she would find herself waking up in a field of her favorite flowers.

She caught sight of a cottage that sat atop a sloping hill. _Perhaps someone there can tell me where I am._

Claire began to walk hopefully toward the hill. The long walk wasn't as dull as she expected. Quite the contrary. The farther she walked the more exotic the foxgloves became. They began to vary from the customary purple and pink. They now exhibited outrageous colors such as oranges, yellows, blues, and brilliant reds.

The exotic flowers rimmed the base of the hill, but strangely, they did not continue to climb toward the cottage. A cobbled walk led up from the foxgloves, twisting across the grassy slope of the hill and led up to the small wooden door. She began to walk along the path with an unchanging smile. She liked it here. She knocked on the door and waited for it to be opened.

She stared into the face of a middle-aged woman. Her salt and pepper hair was cut in a bob. Her big blue eyes stared at Claire as her thin lips curled into a smile.

"Viens ici, Charnell!" The woman called back into the depths of the cottage.

"Qu'est-ce qu'elle est, Chimere?" a man answered in turn.

"She's here!"

Claire was perplexed at the reaction of the couple but stepped into the room. Charts and notepads covered the table where the man sat. He stared at Claire through his sunglasses. His shoulder length black hair was pulled back into a disheveled ponytail and the look on his face told her that her appearance had surprised him.

"Claire, we've been waiting for you," The woman said behind her with a thick French accent.

"Waiting for me? Why?"

Claire was worried now. She didn't know these people, yet they had been waiting for her? Something was strange here.

"Darling, I doubt she knows who we are..." The man said in a calm voice that held just as much accent as the woman's did.

"But it _is_ true, Charnell. We have been waiting for her. "

"In a way."

The man stood and ran a hand across his face. He moved to stand beside his wife. Claire took a step back towards the table. This wasn't normal, but then again was anything normal about this place in the first place.

"Claire? This is Chimere," the man said, indicating his wife,"and I am Charnell."

"Well, I am pleased to meet you, but I don't think that I know you," Claire said relaxing a little, now that someone had decided to acknowledge the fact that an introduction was needed.

"But we know you and for 26 long years, we've been waiting to meet you," Chimere said smiling at her.

Charnell looked at his wife and then up at Claire with a knowing smile. "This may come as a bit of a shock to you Claire, but we are your parents."


	6. Chapter 6 An Erzats Past

_**An Ersatz Past**_

Claire now leaned against a window sill frowning at her _parents _who now sat at the table that had been cleared of paperwork.

"There is no way in hell that you can be my parents!" Claire exclaimed, bewildered at this couple's blatant mistake.

"But we are," Chimere said with that same warm smile.

"Even if you were, you wouldn't be looking for me! My parents abandoned me!"

"Claire, your mother and I were young and reckless, but we would never have given you up. You were stolen away from us in the night," Charnell explained, his expression turning dark and stony.

This peaked Claire's interest. They may be obvious liars, but they must have an interesting back story planned out. Claire raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"And how exactly do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You have a birthmark behind your left ear. Your father and I always thought it looked a bit like a paint splatter," Chimere replied, causing Claire to gasp and touch the speckled skin behind her left ear.

"I do admit that it is possible, but you have a pretty lame excuse for leaving me on that orphanage doorstep," Claire said, suddenly frowning again.

"We've told you, we didn't abandon you. You were stolen from us," Charnell repeated.

"Who could have possibly wanted to steal me away?" Claire chuckled.

"Your grandfather owed a large sum of money," Chimere began, frowning for the first time. "What better way to send a message that payment needed to be received than to steal a child from under his nose?"

Claire looked out of the window, considering the couple's story. She breathed in the smell of the foxgloves that grew in the flower box in front of her and suddenly it all clicked. That seemed possible. Family members suffered often enough in New York if a debt wasn't paid. She turned back to the couple and smiled.

"You're right," Claire said as she took a seat across from them.

"I knew you'd understand," her mother said taking her hand.

Her father beamed at the acceptance that he and her mother had received. Claire's former skepticism of mere seconds ago had now become curiosity. She wanted to know everything she could about them. Where they lived, what hobbies they had, their jobs, and, most importantly, if she had any brothers or sisters.

"Your mother and I want to know everything about you," her father said, turning to her.

"And I want to know about you. There's so many questions!" Claire replied, her eyes widening at the enormity of the feat she was about to have to tackle. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a script writer for Pemdas," her father said closing his eyes and smiling as he remembered his first days.

"I'm a journalist. I travel the world looking for stories about the environment and our impact upon it," her mother said taking her turn to answer the question. "And you?"

"I'm a twelfth grade English teacher at Caliber High in Laurence, Wyoming," Claire said, realizing how small this task seemed compared to her parents.

"A teacher. I never would have guessed," her mother chuckled.

"Who adopted you?" Her father asked.

Claire smiled sadly at her father. "Gwyn Walker. She was my tenth grade English teacher and my best friend as well. She passed away three years ago."

"That's nonsense," her mother said giggling.

Even though she was her mother, Claire suddenly felt annoyed with her. Gwyn had been dead and now her mother saw fit to call her a liar and to question her knowledge of Gwyn. Her annoyance must have showed, because her mother hastily explained her laughter.

"You see, Claire, Mrs. Walker is our gardener! She's never told us that she had adopted you however. Perhaps she didn't see the connection. "

"There's no way! I went to her funeral. I saw them bury her casket!" Claire said confused.

Claire's father looked at her strangely and then pointed to the window. "Claire you can see for yourself. She's right there."

Claire turned around in her chair to stare at her deceased English teacher that waved happily at her. She remembered the woman's silver hair that was customarily pulled back into a bun and her wrinkled smiling face. Her sea green eyes had that old spark of life in them that they had before she was hospitalized with cancer. Her floppy gardener's hat sat atop her head and the familiar rusty, blue watering can was gripped firmly in her hand.

Claire turned back to her parents frantically. "I am _**not**_ crazy! That woman has been dead for three years."

Her parents stared at her intently. She looked from one to the other, weighing the chances of whether or not they thought she was crazy. Then she caught sight of the cuckoo clock that hung on the wall above a table that housed many pictures of her mother's travels. Instead of the regular 12 hours that a clock would have, this one had thirteen.

Claire's eyes widened in understanding. She was still in the Labyrinth. She was running out of time! Claire hopped up from the table and looked at her _parents_. They were just figments of imagination conjured up by Jareth weren't they?

"Where are you going?" Charnell asked with a strange gruffness in his voice that Claire hadn't noticed before.

She didn't answer as she yanked open the door that she thought would lead to the cobbled path. It led, however, to a fall that never ended, or that's how it seemed to Claire. The darkness around her seemed to darken as she fell, seeping into her veins. Her eyes flickered open revealing the canopy of leaves above her and the night that showed through in patches.

She jumped up, suddenly aware of her surroundings and what little time she had. She gazed at the white owl that flew overhead, suspicious after her last encounter with one of its kind.

A voice seemed to invade her mind as it cackled and then declared, _"Who! Who! One hour left, dove!"_


	7. Chapter 7 Shadows in Shadow

_**Shadows in Shadow**_

Claire found herself running wildly through the woods, not caring what direction she was headed. All she hoped was that somewhere in front of her was an Outer Gate. Her hands tore through leaves and pine needles as she tried to shield her face. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could have actually have seen where she was going, but the canopy above her and the night time around her made that nearly impossible.

Claire stopped gasping for breath as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Her head whipped this way and that, not yet ready to trust that it had just been a mouse or something else small. To her right she saw it again. It reminded her of a shadow. It stopped moving. Now it was standing to her left. Claire tilted her head ever so slightly to catch sight of it... but it wasn't an it. It was her.

She was looking at a shadow version of herself. Same hairstyle, same clothes, same face, but when it smiled at her it's grin contained dozens of razor-like, needle-sharp teeth. It took a step towards her and Claire, likewise, took a step back.

A twig snapped from somewhere behind the monster. This sent Claire running in the opposite direction. The darkness around her hid the doppleganger from her sight, not that she'd want to see it. The only thought that crowded her mind was survive. Survive and get out of this whacked up labyrinth.

She burst out into a small glade filled with wildflowers. As she ran, she caught her foot on a root, sending her flying to the ground in the center of the glade. She flipped over, only to find the doppelganger right on her. It bared its sharp teeth and narrowed its eyes to slits, inches from her face. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared it, stood looking around. It hissed at her and then bolted off into the woods again.

Claire lay on the ground, shaking all over. That thing had been so unnatural. How could something like that exist? She slowly got up and looked around. Now that the shadow had fled, Claire was able to examine the glade. The wildflowers were all white and fireflies were everywhere. She smiled as one landed on her nose. Claire shook her head as she realized she had to get going if she wanted to beat this thing.

"It's no use, dove. You're mine now," Jareth said from behind her.

Claire stood as still as a stone statue as her mind raced. With a sickening feeling she realized why the shadow had left. She had run her race and it was through. She had lost and now she was never going back.

Jareth circled her like a hungry dog. "Have you liked my gifts, dove?" He asked, stopping in front of her and smiling, revealing his crooked, browning teeth.

Claire glared at Jareth. "What gifts?"

The Goblin King's smile quickly turned to a look of agitation as he stepped closer to Claire. Now that he stood only inches away, Claire began to feel the fear that froze her heart and kept her rooted where she stood.

"All you asked for, I gave to you! I have conjured the dead for you, twisted the truth around your finger and yet you still want more! You demand far more than precious Sarah ever did!"

Claire held her icy glare on him and he sighed. _Never mind her_, he told himself. _ She is yours now and the need to impress her has lessened. _ He knew, however, that the need had only increased now that she treated him so coldly.

He snapped his fingers and the pair disappeared in a cloud of glitter, leaving the glade empty once again.


	8. Chapter 8 Of Bandages and Bedposts

Hey guys! Claire's back :) Sorry for it being so short. Inspiration is scarce and I've been kind of busy since school started back :(

_2 years after the ending of As Stone Falls and Labyrinth Calls_

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_**Of Bedposts and Bandages**_

Claire looked out of the window at the foul-smelling, filthy village below. She knew the streets well. She had spent weeks searching them for any trace of home. Of course, she had turned up empty handed. She had ran faster than she ever had and conquered obstacles no normal person could boast, yet she had still fallen prey to the mind games of the Goblin King.

"Stupid fancy pants, shoe eating goblin sludge," Claire muttered under her breath as she kicked her bedpost.

Before she had even done it, Claire realized what a mistake she had made. She moaned as tears sprang to her eyes and she grabbed up her injured foot. She turned and sat down on her fluffy feathery bed. She didn't even acknowledge when the door opened.

"My my, what have you done this time you clumsy human?" the familiar voice of Jarim asked as he sat at the end of the bed.

Claire bit her lip in an attempt to stop her sobs from escaping. She rocked gently back and forth holding her injured foot and looking pleadingly at her friend and mentor. She saw his countenance morph from the bemused expression of seconds ago to the worried look of a concerned parent.

"Oh dear. What have you done, Claire?" Jarim asked as he gently took her foot in his maroon hands and placed it in his lap.

"I... I kicked... the bed... post..." She answered between her hiccuping sobs.

"Now why did you go and do a thing like that?" he asked.

Jarim didn't wait for an answer as he slowly slipped off Claire's shoe making her groan and then her sock, which didn't hurt near as much. He gently touched the top of her bruised foot. His brow furrowed and then he sighed.

"You've gone and broken it."

"Shut up! It hurts, damn it! Just fix it already," Claire said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Fine. Fine. You're going to have to let me go get the splints and bandages." Jarim said sighing before he got up.

Claire stayed where she was as she watched Jarim. He stood in the doorway for a second before turning back to stare at her. Claire stared at him, hoping he wouldn't tell her off again. After a few moments Jarim opened his mouth as if to speak but then shut it again.

Tears still rolling down her cheeks, Claire couldn't take the time to think about how strangely Jarim had been acting for the past couple of weeks. Even if she had, she would have no idea what lay in store for her.


	9. Chapter 9 Little Surprises

**Little Suprises**

What seemed like an eternity later to Claire, Jarim returned with Hogsquash in tow. In his arms he carried bandages, a pitcher, and a small package of some sort. Hogsquash carried a bowl of ice and a rag. Jarim set the pitcher and the on the bedside table along with the package. He set at the foot of Claire's bed.

"What did she do Jar?" Hogsquash asked setting the bowl of ice beside the other things.

"She kicked the bedpost. I suspect she's cracked her foot." Jarim replied taking Claire's foot in his hands.

"Jareth's not gonna like this," the little goblin said hopping nervously.

"And just why won't he like that?" Claire asked, cringing as Jarim inspected her foot further.

Jarim sighed and looked at the bedside table with a troubled expression. He frowned as he looked at it.

"We forgot the glass, Hog. Mind getting me one?"

"Not at all," Hogsquash said hoping quickly through the door and down the hall.

Jarim placed Claire's foot gently on the bed and moved to close the door. He turned back to her and ran a hand through his black hair. After a second he walked to the window and took a deep breath. He had forgotten the glass on purpose. As kind as his sister was, she wasn't the best at handling delicate matters such as this.

"Jarim, what's going on?" Claire asked, trying to ignore the pain in her foot.

The goblin said nothing. He only continued to stare out of the window. Finally he reached for the package and began to open it.

"Jarim, tell me," Claire demanded.

"Jareth plans to marry you," Jarim said with a sudden gruffness to his voice.

"He what!" Claire asked sitting up suddenly.

"You heard me, Claire."

Jarim put the package down again and returned his gaze to the window, to something no one else could see. Claire sat there, speechless. King Fancy-Pants wanted to marry _her_? The notion was absurd. In the past 4 months she had only seen him twice. She had gone out of her way to avoid him and he had seemed to do the same.

"Why? He's shown hardly any interest in me since my run."

"It is not a marriage he wishes. It is only a marriage of convenience. He needs a wife and you are here. You don't know this Claire, but the point of running the Labyrinth recently has been for Jareth to find a suitable candidate to become queen. If he had his way he'd never have even had to consider taking a wife, but his father has been constantly on his case since Jareth had a run in with an group of enemy soldiers on his way to Laspira."

"Surely there is some other strange royalty out there that would interest him more," Claire said frowning.

"Jareth has wanted a human. He sees them as weak. He knows you can't pose a threat to him and that you won't be able to do anything if he resumes his old... _ways_," Jarim said with a look of digust. Jarim had always been disgusted by his brother's reasoning.

"Well he hasn't said anything to me about it. I don't see how he can expect to marry me without my approval," Claire harrumphed, crossing her arms.

Jarim looked at her arching an eyebrow, then turned away and sighed.

"Jareth is the Goblin King and full Fae. King Argon gives his precious son anything he desires. Jareth will get what he wants. One way or another. The only time he hasn't gotten what he wanted was when Sarah finished the Lab-"

Jarim stopped speaking as he noticed Claire's tears. He wasn't entirely sure if they were from the pain of the fracture or the realization she'd be married against her will to a selfish brat like Jareth. Jarim sat beside her on her bed and wiped her tears away. She looked at him with desperate eyes. At that moment Jareth realized what he had to do. He stood abruptly and looked down at her seriously.

"Well if it bothers you that much, I'll see what I can do about his plans," Jarim said hastily, though honestly he wasn't too happy with the idea of Jareth marrying Claire either.

"It's not that you idiot! In case you've forgotten, my foot hurts!" Claire groaned.

Jarim's smile fell. He sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days. Jarim turned his attention to the squeaking of the door and saw Hogsquash tentatively poking her head into the room.

Seeing Claire's tears, she exclaimed, "Dear lords! What did you do to her Jar?"


	10. Chapter 10 Speak of the Devil

****_Okay so I know this chapter is like ALL over the place but I started this at like 2 in the morning yesterday and finished sometime this afternoon. I'll try to make the next one less off the wall lol I hope you enjoy it though :) Thanks for the faves and the support :)_

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_**Speak of the Devil**_

It had been six days since Claire had kicked the bedpost and she now sat comfortably in her bed. She wasn't _supposed_ to get out of bed without the help of Jarim. He had told her she shouldn't put weight on her right foot. She didn't always exactly listen. It wasn't like Jarim could be there every time she wanted a book from her dresser and Jarim certainly couldn't help her into her bath. She was glad that Hogsquash knew how to keep at least one secret.

Claire's foot had developed a nasty purplish bruise that Hogsquash had unmercifully poked. Claire knew it was nothing but a childish curiosity; She had dealt with it a lot at Caliber High, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Jarim had quickly shooed Hogsquash away and dosed Claire up with another glass of water and pain relieving herbs.

Jarim had told Claire it would be about 5 weeks before she would be completely back to normal. Claire didn't mind. It meant she had 5 weeks before... oh wait she wasn't thinking about that. _**He**_ hadn't asked. _**He**_ hadn't said anything. It wasn't real.

Claire's face scrunched up in... she stopped... she didn't know how she felt about this. Since she hadn't taken the time to think about it, she hadn't been able to sort her feelings. What did it matter? She had 5 weeks to relax and ignore the impending doom that was marriage to a man she hardly knew.

Claire sighed. Did he even know what had happened? She doubted it. She made a mental note to ask Jarim more about Jareth, although it didn't look like Jarim liked Jareth at all. Maybe she should ask Hogsquash.

A knock at her door snapped Claire out of her thoughts.

"Come in," Claire called.

Jarim walked through the door with another package of herbs. He would come by every other hour with a package of the herbs and ask her if she needed any. It seemed to be becoming a daily ritual. Claire hadn't ever suspected such medical prowess from her friend, but she was glad for it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked walking to stand beside the bed.

"About as wonderful as a person can when she can't go anywhere," Claire sighed.

"I brought you some more pain relievers."

"I don't need them right now," Claire said leaning back against her pillows.

Jarim nodded and sat the package on the bedside table. He began to scowl at some unknown thing outside of Claire's bedroom window. Claire looked at him with a confused expression. Jarim quickly regained his composure and nodded to Claire.

"They're here if you need them," he said.

With a final scowl at the unknown figure, Jarim left Claire alone in her room feeling very very lonely. The former teacher closed her eyes and sighed. She was so bored and there was nothing to do. Claire sat up abruptly. Something felt wrong... almost as if someone was watching her. She looked around the room trying to identify the source of her discomfort.

She found it almost immediately. On her windowsill sat a barn owl staring intently at her. It seemed so familiar but she could put her finger on where it was from. Claire had seen only one owl flying around the Labyrinth and when she had brought it up to Jarim he had told her that Jareth only wanted one owl in the Labyrinth.

Claire reeled back in surprise as the owl took flight and circled her room. Suddenly a burst of glitter caused her to sputter and rub at her eyes. Claire's vision was impaired for a few moments as she blinked away the last bits of stinging glitter, but when she saw what stood at her bedside she almost wished she couldn't see.

"Damn. Speak of the devil," She muttered quietly under her breath.

"Good evening, Dove," Jareth said with a gruesome smirk.


	11. Chapter 11 The Hair of the Court

_The Hair of the Court_

"What are you doing here?" Claire asked the Gobling King as much venom as she could muster.

"I thought you'd be a bit more friendly toward your future husband," Jareth said with a smirk.

"I will not marry a man who doesn't even have the decency to wear pants," Claire replied glaring.

Jareth frowned at the woman in front of him. It had been two years and he still hadn't impressed her. It shouldn't matter, but it did. He shook his head.

"Your hair is longer."

"Of course it is. You think I would let any of your goblins near my hair?" Claire asked with a frown.

Claire ran her fingers through her now elbow length hair. She had only dared to let Hogsquash trim the ends and even then it always turned out uneven. Hogsquash meant well, but she had more of an eye for the dresses of the court than for hair.

"I could always send you my hairdresser," Jareth said nonchalantly.

"Why? So my hair could be a disaster area like yours? I'd rather not. Besides still a goblin."

"Actually she's a human," Jareth corrected, walking to my dresser and poking around the knick-nacks that were scattered across it.

Claire raised an eyebrow. She had assumed she was the only human here from what Jarim had said. She made a mental note to ask him the next time he brought by a dose of painkilling herbs.

"It doesn't matter though. She serves her purpose. She serves it well," Jareth said with a smirk and a gleam in his eye.

"More like fails at it. As I said before your hair is a disaster area," Claire replied with a glare.

"I'll have you know that this style is very popular with the court," the king replied, fluffing his mullet.

"And you expect me to be part of that court?" Claire asked.

"I know you will be part of that court. As soon as your foot has heeled expect to be attending our engagement party," He said laughing at her.

Before Claire could reply, the glitter was back and she was once again coughing hysterically. _One thing is for sure_, she thought to herself, _if I do end up marrying him, we will have to have a talk about all this glitter and what it will do to my health_.

As Claire's coughing subsided and the glitter settled on the floor, Jarim and Hogsquash walked into the room. Hogsquash held a broom and almost immediately got to work on sweeping up the glitter. Jarim dusted off a place at the foot of Claire's bed and sat down.

"You know, I could try to cut your hair if it's bothering you," he said, watching Hogsquash.

Claire just stared at him. He had stood outside the door listening to her conversation and the first thing he says is 'I can cut your hair'? Claire fell back on her bed, sending glitter everywhere again. These past two years had been so surreal. I mean sure, you get used to having goblins wait on you hand and foot, but you never get used to being constantly watched. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe Jarim did know she'd been getting out of bed. Maybe Jareth did know more about her than she thought.

"I'm supposed to start help you brush up on your dancing skills and dinner etiquette," Jarim said , taking her silence as a no.

"How am I supposed to dance on this foot?" Claire asked.

"You've been making to your bathroom quite nicely. I think you should be fine in a week or two," Jarim said.

So he had known she was getting out of bed. Claire sat up and dusted the glitter out of her hair as best she could.

"It suits you better than it does him," Jarim said watching her.

"I thought I was the only human here."

"Danielle has a limp. Jareth wouldn't marry a woman with a limp," Jarim explained.

_ 'Vain much?' _Claire thought.

"I'll send her up here tomorrow. She really is quite nice," he said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked.

"I have some business to attend to."

And with that, Jarim walked out the door to have his own little talk with the Goblin king.


End file.
